Appliance Repair Wisdom for the Ages

Monday, December 16, 2002

Web Wankin'

I run several other websites besides this one so I've learned a thing or two about web services and tools. You need a good domain registrar and website host so people can get to your site. And you need good site-building tools if you're going have something for 'em to see once they get there. Here, now, the Samurai will share his hard-won web wisdom with his precious grasshoppers. Y'all grab a beer and gather 'round.

Domain Registrars

There's a bewildering array of registrar choices out there, all with varying prices and services. What's a grasshopper to do? Depends on how valuable your website is. Does the site make any money or pay for itself or is it just a goof site? If the website generates any revenue at all, there's only one choice in registrars: Verisign. I know, I know, I've heard all the horror stories and I've had a few myself but they ain't going out of bidness next week or next year. Can you be so sure about some of these other registrars like AAArealfrikkincheapdomains.com? Would you trust your domain name to a web bidness that's just hanging on by a shoestring and a prayer? On the other hand, if yours is just a goof site, and I've got a few of those myself, then save a few shekels and shop around for the el-cheapo registrar. My favorite of the el-cheapo's is DotYou.com. Avoid NameObscure.com--too many glitches. I had some domains with them and each day I had to deal with the glitch du jour. Ok, enough about registrars.

Website Hosts

This is the next most crucial player in your website. I've been through a bunch of 'em, too--the good, the bad, and the ugly. I learned the hard way: when it comes to hosting, support is the numero uno criteria for selection. Price is only a secondary concern. For most of the past year, Bluedomino.com has been the web host for Fixitnow.com and they are mucho supremo grande! They have 24/7 LIVE tech support right at their website via Live Person--like what I have at my website except you ain't gonna get me 24/7. All webhosts will occasionally have technical glitches, that just comes with the territory, lot's of stuff to break down, dontcha know. What makes the difference is how they deal with it. I've talked to those guys at Bluedomino at 3 am and on a Sunday live, at their website. Problem handled, or at least I knew what was going on. In contrast, when Yahoo was my webhost, there was frequent prolonged downtime, and absolutely no technical support, certainly not live.

Website Building Tools

CoffeeCup Software, the parent company of Bluedomino, has the best overall package deal going in website building software, especially their flagship product, CoffeeCup HTML editor. You can download the software from their website and try it out before you buy it.

Last tip: if you're just running a goof site, host it for free on one of the many free servers available. My favorite is Tripod. Then, if you think of a cool domain name, register it at DotYou.com where you can forward your domain URL to your Tripod site. If you already have a domain registered somewhere, you can use Redirection.net to forward your cool URL to your website.

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